The UTEP Miners (4-3) and No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks (6-1) tangle Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. Below, we look at the UTEP vs. Kansas odds and lines and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
UTEP lost to New Mexico State Friday and has dropped two of its last three games. NMSU shot a blistering 55.6% from the floor Friday. Defense has been a problem for the Miners: over seven games, opponents are shooting 44.1%, which ranks 256th in NCAA-I.
The Jayhawks have won back-to-back games – scoring nearly 100 points in each – since falling to the Dayton Flyers Nov. 26. Kansas is shooting 51,6% from the floor (sixth NCAA-I), and its 85.4 points per game rank 13th in the nation. Senior G Ochai Agbaji is shooting 55.5% on the young season; he’s averaging 22.6 PPG, which leads the Big-12 Conference.
UTEP at Kansas odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7 a.m. ET.
- Money line: UTEP +1000 (bet $100 to win $1000) | Kansas -2500 (bet $2500 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): UTEP +19.5 (-110) | Kansas -19.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 144.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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UTEP at Kansas odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Kansas 85, UTEP 64
Money line
PASS: move on to greener pastures.
Against the spread
The Miners are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games versus winning teams.
Head coach Bill Self has the Jayhawks’ attention after their Orlando stumble against Dayton. In two games since, Kansas has missed covering a 13.5-point spread by a half-point in a neutral-site game vs. Iona and covered a 7-point spread at St. John’s with 13 points to spare. (And in the Iona game, only a late run and an overall 50% mark from 3-point range nixed the cover.)
Look for this one to be in 25-to-30-point territory by the 35-minute mark. Even a late run by the UTEP bench won’t spoil a Kansas cover. BACK THE JAYHAWKS -19.5 (-110).
Over/Under
The Over is 4-1 in UTEP’s last five road games. Its 6-1 in Kansas’ seven games overall.
And the OVER 144.5 (-110) is the likable play here, though by a slim margin. The Jayhawks may well be a top-5 offense in the nation this season. Ninety-plus for a third straight game is possible.
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